Wagashi are traditional Japanese sweets that are usually made from natural, plant-based ingredients such as grains and azuki beans. The sweet treats are typically served with tea and are classified into three categories: namagashi (fresh confectionery), han namagashi (half-dry confectionery), and higashi (dry confectionery).
Wagashi is characterized by its design, so in spring, when cherry blossom is in full bloom, the producers make wagashi in cherry blossom shapes, using cherry petals or leaves. The origins of these sweets date back to the Yayoi Era when there was nothing more than natural nuts, fruits, and berries, so wagashi was influenced by the grain processing skills introduced from China.
MOST ICONIC Wagashi
Rakugan are traditional Japanese sweets prepared in many different colors and shapes reflecting seasonal, holiday, or regional themes. They are made by pressing sugar, soybean flour, and various powders in traditional wooden molds, known as kashigata.
It can be said that rakugan is not just a sweet, but an art form in itself. It is often consumed at tea ceremonies and festivities such as Christmas. The flavor of rakugan is that of pure sugar, since it is similar to regular sugar cubes used for tea in the West.
One of the most popular fresh seafood one-bowl donburi dishes, kaisendon consists of thinly sliced, assorted raw seafood called sashimi laid over freshly steamed rice. What kind of sashimi will be used in a kaisendon dish is not fixed, but the seafood selection depends on both location and season, and most often includes maguro (tuna), tai (sea bream), ama ebi (deep-water shrimps), hotate (scallops), uni (sea urchin), kani (crab), and sometimes even marinated ikura (salmon roe).
Apart from sashimi, kaisendon is typically topped with toasted nori seaweed, myoga ginger, shiso or Japanese basil, cucumber, onions, and either fresh or pickled ginger. Before being placed on a bed of steamy rice, all of the ingredients are drizzled with wasabi-laced soy sauce, and the kaisendon bowl is lastly garnished with some white sesame seeds, white radish sprouts, and wasabi paste.
MOST ICONIC Kaisendon
Amanattō is a traditional dry dessert consisting of boiled beans (usually azuki or black soybeans), sugar, and sugar syrup. It is believed that the dessert originated in the early 1860s, when sugar became available in Japan for the first time. The first amanattō was invented by Hosoda Yasubei, who opened a wagashi store in Tokyo shortly after.
He used azuki beans, sasage cowpeas, and soramame green beans to make the first amanattō. Today, amanattō is extremely popular in Japan, especially among the older generations, since it is regularly served with tea in numerous Japanese retirement homes.